Perforate roadbed simulating attachment for toy railroad tracks



Jan. 12; 1954 R. D. SMITH PERFORATE ROADBED SIMULATING ATTACHMENT FORTOY RAILROAD TRACKS Filed July 13, 1950 INVENTOR STATS PERFORATE ROADBEDSIMULATING AT- TACHMEN T FOR TOY RAILROAD TRACKS Raymond D. Smith,Easton,

The A. 0. Gilbert Company,

Conn., assigncr to New Haven, Conn a corporation of Maryland ApplicationJuly 13, 1950, Serial No. 173,559

3 Claims.

This invention relates to track beds for toy railroads having some ofthe features disclosed in a copending application of Raymond D. Smithand Maurice H. Romer, Serial No. 148,596, filed March 9, 1950.

In said copending application there is disclosed a mat adapted to serveas a removable base for conventional toy track sections of the skeletonstyle, which mat faithfully simulates or is strong" ly suggestive of aroad bed preferably ballasted by crushed rock and having sleepersembedded therein. When a conventional toy track section of the skeletonkind including cross ties underlying the rails is assembled with bedstructure of that kind, the cross ties are sunk below the top surface ofthe removable bed structure and thereby embedded therein to such depththat the top surfaces of the cross ties alternate with and lie incoplanar relation to simulated top surfaces of dummy sleepers configuredon the top surface of the bed structure. This gives rise to the appearance of rails supported by sleepers which are all alike and locatedas closely together in proportion to the gauge of the track as is commonin real railroad construction.

In the aforesaid copending application a detachable roadbed-simulatingmat of the above characteristics is described, wherein the cross ties ofthe toy track are nested in depressions of dovetail profile shape closedat the bottom by a Web of the resilient material, usually rubber, ofwhich the mat as a whole is made. This web limits the extent to whichthe size of the crosstie cavities can be enlarged by stretching thematerial of the mat such as medium soft rubber for the purpose ofbuttoning the mat onto the cross ties in clinging conformity therewithand because of the stretch-limiting effect of the floor web of thecavity makes acute bending of the body of the mat the easiest way toapply and remove the mat from a toy track section but this proves torequire finger strength sometimes in excess of that possessed by achild.

I have discovered that if the floor web of the depressions or cavitiesor sockets formed in the mat material is cut out or eliminated, the sizeand shape of the cavities in relation to the cross ties being nototherwise changed, the resulting apertures which extend completelythrough the thickness of the mat make the mat more flexible, stretchableand flabby and permit the toy track rails to seat more dependably on andin close contact with the dummy sleepers configured in the top rubbersurface of the mat, yet in no way impair the dependable cling of the matto the track section. It also makes the cross ties much more readilyembeddable in the mat be cause of the ease of distortion of thecross-tie receiving openings in the mat as well as the ease of adaptingthe spacings thereof to that of the cross ties when the mat material isstretched by finger manipulation.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is more particularly explainedin the following de scription having reference to the appended drawingswherein:

Figs. 1 and 2 show respectively a conventional section of toy track andan underlying mat unit separated therefrom and embodying the presentinvention.

Fig. 3 shows the fingers of an operators hand in the act of buttoning onor peeling off the improved road bed mat with respect to two of thecross ties of a toy track section.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view taken in section longitudinally of the matof Fig. 2 with the track section of Fig. l superimposed thereon and istaken in section on a central vertical plane extending longitudinally ofthe assembled mat and track section.

Fig. 5 is a view taken in section on the planes 5-5 in Fig. 4 looking inthe direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a view taken in section on the plane 66 in Fig. 4 looking inthe direction of the arrows.

In Fig. 1, I2 designates a conventional toy track section includingstiff metallic rails l3 with their usually metallic underlying crossties or sleepers l 4, the sheet metal of each of which cross ties hasstruck-up tongues l5 which fold over the base flanges of the rails forsecuring the latter in fixed relation to the cross ties. Thisconventional construction produces a rigid unitary track section ofskeleton nature. The ends of the rails of adjoining track sections arecon.- nected in true alignment by coupling pins such as I! one of whichis lodged in one hollow end of the rail and removably insertable in thehollow end of the rail of a companion track section.

The improved mat shown in Fig. 2 has a series of pseudo cross ties ofsleepers 2i configured in its upper surface and comprises a slab-likebody having an external configuration resembling in miniature theballasted road bed of a railroad track.

According to the present improvements mat 20 contains rectangular holescut entirely through its thickness to form apertures 23 and the sideWalls 24 of the apertures are slanted in a spreading or undercut mannerfrom the top surface of the mat to produce the profile of dovetail shapemost clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The width of the socket at the bottom equals the maximum over-all widthof the cross tie at its bottom turned-out edges 26 whereas thestretchable cross-tie-admitting mouth of the aperture has a smallerwidth equal to the width of the relatively narrow top surface 2'! of thesleeper.

Owing to the soft resilient stretchable properties of the material ofthe that, usually rubber, there is enough stretch to such material topermit temporary distortion of each aperture so that it can be buttonedon to "one of the projecting cross ties IQ of the rigid track section [2whereby the cross tie is forced into fitting -andfilling occupancy ofthe aperture as shown in Fig. 4, Thus the bed structure containsembedded therein and clings firmly to a plurality of the cross tie whilethe track rails 13 rest upon and 'haveitheir weigfnt supported on allthe pseudo ties ii that-are :configured in the top surface "of the matin closec'ontact therewith.

A road-bed-simulating :mat constructed with apertures as herein, inplace of depressions, cavities or sockets as in the beforementiondpatent application, is sufficiently more flexible and stretchable toconiormmore closely to all surfaces of the track section intended tocontact therewith than is the case with mats having sockets sun'xtherein instead of apertures pierced therethrough. Consequently lesaccuracy of the molded rubber shape of the mat and size ofits aperturesis necessary to insure a snug fitting-together of the track section'andthe matsuchas will best-produce the illusion of the pseudo sleepers orcross ties being'mdistingnishable from the metallic cross ties of thetrack section. Furthermore less rubber material ands-less weight .iscocasioned by completely cut-out openings to accommodate the cross tiesthan results irommere sockets sunk in the body-of the mat;

It will be noted in particular thatthe ontturned edges 26 of the crossties bottom against nothing in Fig. 4 and thereby are;prevented:frominterfering with all-over contact between'th'e bottom of the track railsand each of the slightly raised pseudo sleeper configurations 2 i.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture adapted for removable attachment to askeleton section of toy track comprising laterally spaced apart trackrails fixedly united by underlying crossties spaced apart along saidrails, an accessory base mat comprising a relatively thin slab-likesolid having an external surface configuration resembling in miniature alength of the road bed of a railroad track, said solid having at leastone perforation extending completely through its thickness having ashape and size to permit at least one of said crossties to be insertedin and fit the same.

2. As an article of manufacture adapted for removable attachment to askeleton section of toy track comprising laterally spaced apart trackrails fixedly united by spaced apart underlying structural crossties, anaccessory mat comprising a slab-like body of stretchable material havingan external configuration resembling in miniature the road bed of arailroad track, said body con- .taininga plurality of buttonhole formingperfora- .tions extending completely through its thickness andsufi'iciently smaller than said structural crossties to admit, containand cling respectively to said .cro'ssties when .the latterlare buttonedinto said apertures.

3-. The combination of, a skeleton section of toy track comprisinglaterally spaced apart track rails fixedly united by spaced apartunderlying crossties, and an accessory mat comprising a slablike bodyhaving a plurality of perforations of dovetail profile shape extendingcompletely through its thickness, each of said perforations beingnormallyoi :shape andsize toadmit thereto and closely conform to the topportionof a single one of said 'crcssties.

RAYMOND DQSMITH.

References Cited in the fileof. this patent STATES PATENTSSatterthwai-te Aug. 1,1934

